Yes China has the depth of culture and history but USA inherited the legacy of Western Imperialism from the UK and since WW2 has dominated international institutions and protocols- eg IMF, World Bank, SWIFT/petrodollar, BIS, UN etc. China when impacted by the British Empire in the Opium Wars was thrown into deep turmoil and the 'hundred years of humiliation' followed and then post WW2 a gradual and brutal process of rebuilding its culture and political and economic structures to be able to confront the west without being subjugated like virtually all other cultures globally have been. USA still dominates in terms of military power and control over the protocols and institutions and also via soft power like Hollywood and the story telling by which it still arguably leads the world in messaging and narrative direction. Yes US culture is not as deep but it has enjoyed dominance in economic, military and cultural ways over the last century. It might be that China today somewhat recovered from the historical impact of western imperialism is now ready to confront and deal with it more on Chinas terms rather than being bullied and humiliated as was largely the case in the 19th and 20th centuries. Chinas sheer size and depth of culture have ultimately resulted in it being able and determined to resist and repel the wests imperialist imperatives. It has been and looks like continuing to be a battle of civilisations. It might not be all bad imo - competition is after fundamental to life and evolution.